Man shoots self in leg, police use stun gun after battle with paramedics

St. Louis, MO (KSDK) - A 22-year-old man is being treated for a self-inflicted bullet wound to his leg, an injury suffered during a police pursuit initiated by officers after the man failed to stop while speeding down Chouteau Avenue last night.

Police have not identified the man involved, pending criminal charges.

The ordeal started just before 9:00 p.m. Tuesday when a patrol officer tried to stop the car after it left a gas station and began speeding away. A woman who was sleeping inside the fleeing car and a toddler were awakened when the driver of the car began shooting a gun.

The suspect eventually pulled over to the curb at 10th and Chouteau and threatened to kill himself. Police formed a barricade around the vehicle and the intersection.

The woman inside the car called 911 and identified herself as the gunman's girlfriend.

At some point during the standoff, the woman was able to gain control of the gun and threw it from the car where police could move in, get the weapon and rescue the woman and the child.

The suspect was also taken into custody and was attended to by medics at the scene. After loading the injured man into the ambulance for transport to the hospital, the man broke free and began to fight with the paramedics.

Police used a stun gun on the suspect and secured him on the medic board for transport to the hospital.

No names have been released and no injuries were reported, other than the suspect's self-inflicted gunshot wound.